Germany should see Turkey as equal partner

Ankara’s expectation of both Germany and other European Union countries is that despite differences, they see Turkey as an equal partner, Turkey’s foreign minister said Tuesday.

“If you want to advance your relations with us in every area, you need to see Turkey as an equal partner, not a second-class country, because we see our partners as such. We do not look at any country from up on high,” Mevlut Cavusoglu told a joint press conference in Ankara alongside his visiting German counterpart Frank-Walter Steinmeier.

Cavusoglu said in talks with Steinmeier, they had a chance to discuss Turkish-EU relations and regional issues, adding that Turkey places great importance on its ties with Germany, one Europe’s most important countries.

On recent strains between Turkey and the EU and its member countries, Cavusoglu decried EU figures’ remarks about halting Ankara’s accession talks, saying they are triggering a Turkish public backlash.

“We can overcome this challenging process only through mutual trust-based steps,” he added.

“Turkey and Germany have worked together against some extremist organizations, including ISIL, and both are also very strong allies in NATO," Cavusoglu stressed to reporters.

“We have expectations of Germany. First of all, we do not want PKK extremists to roam freely around Germany,” he said.

Yet people linked to the Fetullah terror Organization (FETO) – the group blamed for the July 15 defeated coup in Turkey – as well as the Revolutionary People's Liberation Party-Front (DHKP-C) and ISIL easily conduct their extremist activities in some other European countries, he said.